The story of a dog turned sarabha

The story of a dog turned into sarabha

Once there lived in a forest a Rishi in an Ashram.

The forest was abounding in all kinds of wild animals like deer, buffalo, leopard, tiger, lion etc.

All these animals came to the hermitage of the saint and bowed before him out of respect, sought his blessings and went their way.

In fact all the animals behaved like a slave to the Rishi.

There lived a dog in the vicinity of the Ashram. He always lived nearby to the Rishi eating fruits, nuts etc.

The dog had become very docile.

Once as he was wandering near the hermitage it saw a leopard coming towards it with fierce eyes, eager to kill it to satisfy his hunger.

The dog immediately sensed the danger to its life and limb and ran fast towards the Rishi and begged to save him from the leopard.

The Rishi seeing the plight of the dog immediately changed it into a leopard.

The born leopard upon seeing the dog turned leopard, wishing not to harm a member of its own kind went its way.

Now the dog was eating all kinds of flesh and it was coming out of the influence of the former eating habits.

Then one day a tiger saw the dog turned leopard and came to hunt it.

The dog turned leopard went running in panic to the Rishi. The Rishi saw the plight of the dog turned into leopard and immediately changed it into a tiger.

The real tiger as soon as it saw the dog turn into tiger, left as it did not want to harm one of its own kind.

Now the dog turned tiger was living happily, killing all the animals in the forest.

Because of this no animal now came to the hermitage.

Once an elephant came to attack the tiger and this dog turned tiger became alarmed of it and went to the Rishi to once again free it from the fear towards the elephant.

Instantly the Rishi turned it into an elephant. Seeing another elephant the real elephant now went away as it did not want to do any harm to one of its own kind.

One day Lion came there and this elephant which got afraid of the Lion went to the Rishi to urged him to grant him the boon to be freed from the fear of Lion.

Instantly the Rishi turned it into a Lion. Seeing this the real Lion went away not wanting to harm one of its own kind.

Now its arrogance knew no bounds. It was killing all the other animals wantonly, spreading fear all across the forest as it now became the true king of the forest.

Hearing the atrocities of this a Saraba which kills the Lion came to the hermitage to punish the dog turned Lion.

As soon as it saw the Saraba the dog turned Lion went to the Rishi and asked him to save his life.

The Rishi now changed it into a  Saraba. Seeing this dog turned Saraba the real Saraba went away not wanting to hurt one of its own kind.

Now the dog turned Saraba thought 'this Rishi turned me from a dog to a leopard, to tiger, to an elephant to Lion and to a Saraba. He can also change me to a dog if he lives. Why not kill him before that'.

As soon as these kind of thoughts passed its mind the Rishi was able to read its mind and instantly changed it into the dog.

He said to the dog, ' I made you from dog into a leopard to a tiger to an elephant to a lion and then a saraba. Now you are plotting to kill me. I have done no harm to you. But you are planning to harm me. Hence you once again become a dog'.

The Rishi also drove the dog out of his hermitage.

The human beings are also like this. Many a times they forget what they had received from a person and after advancing in life plot to overthrow those who had aided in their progress.

A king that is guided from this story of dog turned into leopard, tiger, elephant, lion and into a saraba should appoint person who are good for that post. Putting an inferior person in an exalted position will cause that person to lose his senses and make him plot for the downfall of the king.